Adventures in Drool: Day off from dieting

Photo by: Recipe.comEnjoy your holidays with sweet treats, but remember it's back to the gym tomorrow.

It's a holiday, droolers! While we have been dieting and careful since January, holidays create an opportunity to be a little bit bad.

Just a little bit.

Holidays also give us a little more time to experiment with new recipes. For our family picnic tonight, we are trying a Bobby Flay recipe for blue cheese burgers with a red wine jam. While husband mans the grill, I will be working my magic in the kitchen.

Our burgers will be paired with grilled potato fries. I have never grilled a potato, so I will let you know how it turns out.

Here is a quick dessert idea for you to round out your holiday weekend - better enjoy it now because tomorrow it is back on the stair-climber for you! Me too.

The amount of celebrating you do directly correlates to the amount of work you will have to do the rest of the week to burn off those extra calories.

Caramel squares

6 cups Honey Nut Cheerios

1 bag vanilla caramels, unwrapped

3 tablespoons water

2 cups mini marshmallows

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

1 tablespoon shortening

1/4 cup mini candy-coated chocolate bits (mini M&Ms)

Directions:

1. Spray bottom and sides of 13x9-inch pan with cooking spray. Place cereal in large bowl; set aside.

2. In medium microwavable bowl, microwave unwrapped caramels and water uncovered on High 2 minutes 30 seconds to 4 minutes, stirring after each minute, until mixture is smooth. Remove from microwave.

3. Pour caramel mixture over cereal in bowl; stir until cereal is evenly coated. Gently stir in marshmallows. Pour cereal mixture into pan. With buttered back of spoon, press mixture in pan until even.

4. In small microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips and shortening uncovered on High 1 to 2 minutes, stirring after each minute, until mixture is smooth. Drizzle chocolate over top of cereal mixture. Sprinkle baking bits evenly over chocolate. Refrigerate until mixture is firm and glaze is set, about 1 hour.

Welcome to Adventures in Drool! Talking about green living, getting rid of plastics and toxic chemicals in our homes and raising happy kids on a budget. Join the conversation (www.adventuresindrool.com) and don't forget to Like us on Facebook!

Rachel Swick Mavity, author of the blog, lives with a reformed drooler (Droolface), who at age 3 loves to get muddy, drink homemade smoothies, giggle and flirt with old ladies. Her current drooler (Birdy) enjoys spitting up on work clothes and leaving drool trails as a way of showing her love.

Mavity previously worked as a journalist for seven years at newspapers from Pennsylvania to Maryland and Delaware. In Sussex County she worked for several newspapers, including the Cape Gazette. She lives in Lewes with her husband, Ryan Mavity, their son, "Droolface," and daughter, "Birdy."